Pallet bins



D. RAWLE PALLET BINS Dec. 1, 1964 Filed Oct. 29, 1963 United StatesPatent Ofilice 3,159,25'9 FALLET BENS David Rawle, Berwyn, Pa., assignorto Clinch-Tite Corporation, Berwyn, Pa., a corporation of Eelaware FiiedGot. 29, 1963, Ser. No. 319,872 7 Claims. (CH. 217-43) This inventionrelates to pallet bins and the like in which a collapsible box enclosurerests upon abase, to define a volume for storing and Shipping materials,and to collapse when not in use to save space. This application is acontinuation in part of my application Serial No. 193,532 filed May 9,1962.

In many instances of Shipping and storing materials, it is necessarythat the enclosures be secured to their bases to prevent inadvertentCollapse an-d to provide a stable support for further enclosures andpallets to be stacked on top. It is necessary that the means forsecuring the enclosures be inex ensive and simple to secure. In theprior art numerous devices have been employed, but every one has beenobjectionabile either from the standpoint of being too expensive, or inemploying loose parts or tools which can be lost, or in requiring toomuch time and care in securing and releasing the enolosure from itsbase. It is therefore a principal object of the inVent-ion to provide asimple and inexpensive device which is permanently attached to theenclosure and enables the enclosure to be quickly Secured to andreleased from its base.

Another objective is to provide such a device which can also serve tosecure covers and doors of the enclosures.

In the drawings:

FIG. l is a pers ective View partly broken away of an enclosure restingupon a pallet, with two of the qu-ick release devices in position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view on a larger scale of one of the devicesalone;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of a portion of theembodiment of FIG. l, taken on line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view, similar to FIG. 4, of anotherpreferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a devioe of the invention seouring adoor relative to an enclosure panel; and

FIG. 7 is a .perspective view of another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to FIG. l, a collapsible enclosure rests upon a pallet 14, theenclosure oornprises four panels i2 joined together by helix hinges 16into a collapsible unit. Each of the panels comprises a multiplicity ofstructural vertical slats 18 joined together at their upper and lowerends by horizontal cleat members 29. The pallet 14 comprises top andbottom decks 22 and 24, respectively, and spacedapart stringers 26joining the decks together.

In the embodiment of FIG. l, two quick looking and release devioes, 23and 25, on one panel of the enolosure cooperate with two permanentlystationary clamps 27 and 29 on an opposite panel, to secure theenciosure to the pallet. Each quick looking and release device is anextremely simple .pivoted clamp. It is comprised of two 3,159299Patented Dec. 1, 1964 right angle to it, and .an actuating lever 38extending from the upper end of the pivot portion at a right anglethereto, the Iactuating lever 38 being displaced outwardlly about theaxis of the journal a substantial angle A (FIG. 3) relative to thelooking portion 36. The rod member 32. is locked against relativevertical movement with respect to the journal, this being accomplishedby the right angle portions at each end of the pivot portion 34. Asshown in the dotted lines in FIGS. l and 2, when the lever 38 is graspedand turned to extend outwardly at an angle to the plane of the panel,the looking member 36 can extend parallel to the panel plane and outsideand below the edge of the pallet deck 22. When the enclosure is to belocked to the pallet, the actuating lever 38 is turned towards the cleat20, moving the looking portion 35 under the edge of the deok 22.Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, When the actuat-ing lever 38 lsiessubstantially in the plane of the panel, the looking portion 36 engagesthe undersurface 22' of the pallet deck 22. The journal member 30extends downwardly from the cleat 20, and engages the outer edge 22 ofthe top deck of the pallet, restraining the panel from inward movementrelative to the top deck. v

In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the means defining the journal does notextend below the upper surface of the top deck, but the elongated pivotportion 34' does, and this portion engages the edge of the top deck, torestrain against horizontal movement.

Referring to FIG. 5 only actuating rlever 38' engages the journal at anangle in this embodiment, relative vertical movement between the rodmember and the journal is restrained with the deck in plane whenv thedeck is equal in thickness to the amount 35 that the pivot portion islonger than its journal. In this embodiment, When not in use, the pivotportion 34' clan be moved upwardly to conceal the llower part of the rodmember. Another advantage of this embodiment is that a shim can beinserted under the Ilever 38 to accommcdate pallet decks that arethinner than the standard.

Referring to FIG. 1, the looking member can be positioned to engage thestringer 26, to restrain also against horizontal movement in itsdirection.

The aotu-ating lever 38 is adapted to be secured to the panel of theenclosure when the device is in llooking position. To this end the lever38 is .preferably made of an elongated steel rodgthat has such adiameter a-s to have resiliency. The end of the rod is bent'downwardlyto form a securing portion 40 which in ,the unstressed or normaloondition of the lever, extends below the upper edge of the lower cleat20 so that the cleat is in the normal path of movement of the securingportion. The resiliency of the rod is nufficient to enable the lever tobe bent upwardly as shown in-FIG. 2, so that the securing portion di)can be moved over the uptper edge of the cleat. The inne-r surface 20'of the cleat (FIG. 3) serves asa 1 catch surface to engage the securingportion 40.

The slats 18 are spaoed apart near the outer end of the lever 33permitting the securing portion 40 to move over elements, a oontinuousmember 32 preferably formed by a Constant cross-section rod bent into aspecial form and an elongated journal 31) mounted on the lower cleatZti, the journal axis extending vertically, positioned slightly outsidethe part of the panel that correspond-s the cleat 20 to'alignrnent withthe catch surface which it engages when theupward force which fiexeslever 38 is released. Equa-lly, where loose material is packed that doesnot permit such spacing of the slats atthis point, a vertical hole 41(FIG. 5) is provided in` the upper surface ofthe cleat into which theseourin-g portion Kw of the rod can be inserted to secure'the devioe.

. The slat'edge la is an abutment positioned to engage the lever 38intermediate its ends before the securng portion "swings inwardlysufficiently to engage the catch surface. Therefore, the lever isresiliently bent about that edge'and the rod is under tension whensecuring portion 49 is pressed inwardly to engage catch Vsurface 20'.Ac-

`corclingly, when'the securing portion 40 engages the catch dicuiar tosaid slot, said cross-slot in registry with said lever, said levercomprising two integral portions set at an angle to each other, saidintegral portion closest to said pivot portion adapted to move in saidcross-slot and to engage one end thereof when said lever is in lockingposition.

6. The pallet box enclosure of claim 1 wherein said securing means is inthe form of a hand encircling a structural Component of said enclosure,and adapted to encircle said lever portion when said lever portion is inits looking position, to secure said lever portion substantially in theplane of said panel.

7. The enclosure of claim 6 wherein said band is of resilient materialand is adapted to be slipped over the end of said lever to secure it inplace, said lever having means spaced from the pivot portion to preventinadvertent disengagement of said hand.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 78,715Armour June 9, 1868 853,383 Thoms May 14, 1907 2,961,113 Kienlen Nov.22, 1960 10 2,981,433 Kordowski Apr. 25, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 132,904Great Britain Oct. 2, 1919 235,798 Great Britain June 25, 1925

1. A PALLET BOX ENCLOSURE HAVING A PALLET BASE AND A PLURALITY OF SIDEPANELS COLLAPSIBLY SECURED TOGETHER FOR SUPPORT UPON SAID PALLET BASEAND AT LEAST ONE QUICK RELEASE LOCKING DEVICE TO LOCK AN EDGE OF ONE OFSAID PANELS AGAINST THE UPPER PART OF SAID PALLET BASE, SAID LOCKINGDEVICE COMPRISING A MEMBER HAVING AN ELONGATED PIVOT PORTION ROTATABLYSECURED TO SAID PANEL IN A JOURNAL MEANS, THE AXIS OF WHICH LIES IN APLANE SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID PANEL, THE LOCKING DEVICE INCLUDINGAT LEAST SAID PIVOT PORTION PROTRUDING BEYOND THE EDGE OF SAID PANELAGAINST WHICH DEVICE SAID PALLET BASE CAN BEAR LATERALLY, A LOCKINGPORTION AT SAID PROTRUDING END OF SAID PIVOT PORTION EXTENDING AT ARIGHT ANGLE THERETO, AND AN ELONGATED ACTUATING LEVER PORTION AT THEOTHER END OF SAID PIVOT PORTION EXTENDING AT A RIGHT ANGLE THERETO, THELEVER PORTION BEING DISPLACED OUTWARDLY ABOUT THE AXIS OF SAID PIVOTPORTION A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE RELATIVE TO SAID LOCKING PORTION SO WHENSAID LEVER PORTION IS MOVED INWARDLY TO LIE SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE PLANEOF SAID PANEL SAID LOCKING PORTION EXTENDS AT A SUBSTANTIAL ANGLE TO THEPLANE OF SAID PANEL TOWARD SAID PALLET BASE AND IS OPPOSED TO THECORRESPONDING PANEL EDGE, THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID LOCKING PORTIONENGAGING A DOWNWARDLY DIRECTED SURFACE OF SAID PALLET BASE TO SECURESAID PALLET BASE AND THE EDGE OF SAID PANEL TOGETHER, AND RELEASABLESECURING MEANS OPPOSING THE ROTATION OF SAID LOCKING DEVICE ABOUT THEAXIS OF SAID PIVOT PORTION WHILE SAID LOCKING DEVICE IS IN ITS LOCKINGPOSITION.